Verdicts to six Ingush activists toughened

The prosecution has achieved stricter custody conditions for the six participants of the rally in Magas, who were found guilty of assaulting law enforcers. The Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" has linked the sentence tightening with the recent dispersal of a rally in North Ossetia.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that courts in the Stavropol Territory are considering the criminal cases about the clashes of Ingush activists with law enforcers at a rally in Magas in March 2019. The consideration of appeals against a number of sentences resulted in toughening of them. Thus, on April 22, the court replaced the serving of sentences in a colony-settlement for a general regime colony for Ruslan Dzeitov and Bagaudin Myakiev.

On Thursday, April 23, a court examined complaints against the verdicts to the activists convicted for assaulting "Rosgvardia" (Russian National Guard) fighters. Their prison terms remained unchanged. Adam Badiev was sentenced to one year and 10 months, Akhmed Nalgiev and Gelani Khamkhoev – to one year and 9 months each, Aslan Aushev and Zubeir Khamkhoev – to one year and 8 months, and Zelimkhan Bapkhoev – to 1.5 years.

The Territorial Court has upheld investigators that the activists were guided by the motive of political hatred to the head of Ingushetia, Yunus-Bek Evkurov. Besides, their place of imprisonment was changed from a colony-settlement to general security colony, the HRC "Memorial" has stated.

"The authorities are afraid of growing social protests; therefore, they demand more severe sentences from judges," said Oleg Orlov, a board member of the HRC "Memorial".

He believes that the second reason for toughening sentences was the preparation for political trials of leaders of the Ingush protests who are accused of extremism.